Where did the term 'Ghost in the Machine' come from?

When discussing matters related to consciousness, be it within ourselves or the fields of Artificial Intelligence, you have probably come across the term 'Ghost in the Machine'.

Even in the anime series Ghost in the Shell (whose name itself is a variant of the same concept), the blue think-tanks called Tachikomas, imbued with their own AI, begin to wonder if they will ever have 'ghosts'.  And the main character, herself a full cyborg with only a cyberbrain left from her humanity, often makes reference to hers and others ghosts.  In this context 'ghost' can be seen as another word for consciousness.

It is hard to avoid the term, especially as we strive to create truly sentient Artificial Intelligence, but where did it come from?

In 1994, Albert Bandura (Social Cognitive Theory) Predicts Rise of Social Media

Recently I have been reading the book Theories on Personality (fifth edition, 1998), which is a rather comprehensive overview of various theories on the development of personality ranging from Freud's Psychoanalysis to Kelly's Psychology of Personal Constructs.

Each theory has its merits, from their own points of view, though my interests are more in the realms of how technology now and in the future will impact not only our own personalities, but overall how they can change and shape how we model the world around us and the world within.

Keep in mind that this edition is from 1998, long before most people were online.  At the end of the chapter for Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, there was the following paragraph:

Bandura recognizes the limitations that biological forces place on us, while at the same time, he believes that we have a remarkable plasticity.  Our social environments allow us a wide range of behaviors, including using other people as models.  All of us live in a number of social networks and are thus influenced by a variety of people.  Modern technology in the form of computers and the media facilitate the spread of social influences (Bandura, 1994b). [Italics added.]

Here we are 18 years later and these prescient views affect most of us not only on a daily basis, but on a minute by minute basis whether it is chatting via facebook, texting, or the pervasiveness of even being available all the time via a cell phone.

Even just hanging out with friends is vastly different.

More than a decade ago, before the term Social Networking came into common parlance, critics were waxing poetic about the old days before cell phones and how online communities would cause each of us to sit alone in our rooms staring at computer screens and not talking to people in person anymore.

Yet that did not happen.  When we hang out with friends it is not uncommon for us to be sitting around with phones, tablets, or notebooks in hand, checking through various posts, comments, or conversations online while we talk.  Most of the time these activities will add to our in-person conversations.

And when the conversation lulls with a pregnant pause, instead of the old school societal norm of bringing up the weather, we can all just sit in silence perusing our electronics.

Pavlovian Responses to Government Installations

Talk about Pavlovian responses to an image.  I was watching a television show and the following image of the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain entrance came up on the screen:

And which of the following do you think my mind envisioned as coming on-screen next?

1. A view of the Stargate Command conference room.
2. Jack O'Neill making a subtle sarcastic comment or remark while Carter rolls her eyes.
3. Flashing lights and people running around because something has gone horribly wrong with the Stargate, again, while Daniel consults a book unphased by the chaos around him.
4. Teal'c looking serious, constipated, or both.
5. None of the above.  (Instead you are confronted by the wild hair of Giorgio A. Tsoukalos of Ancient Aliens.)

Amazing in a way how watching a television show for ten years and seeing that image had me conditioned.

Sociologically Speaking - Some Articles for Your Perusal

From Physorg.com:

Does power cloud one's ability to make good decisions?
Grave consequences can result from bad decisions made by people in leadership positions. Case in point: the 2009 Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster.  [[Complete Article]]

Upper class people more likely to cheat: study
The upper class has a higher propensity for unethical behavior, being more likely to believe – as did Gordon Gekko in the movie "Wall Street" – that "greed is good," according to a new study from the University of California, Berkeley. [[Complete Article]]

Is sharing the key to advanced society?
The ability to share knowledge and learn from each other may be the key difference between people and chimpanzees that helped humans to dominate the modern world, scientists suggested on Thursday. [[Complete Article]]

Probing Question: How much has dating changed in recent years?
The economy may be struggling, but these days Cupid has found some profitable new niches. With about 95 million single adults in the United States, the online matchmaking industry is booming, to the tune of a billion dollars in revenue projected for 2012.  [[Complete Article]]

So this does not bode well for me.  I do not have any power, but still manage to make bad decisions.  Definitely not upper class, but not above creatively solving situations.  Sharing is not an issue in most circumstances.  And...  Date?  Is that not a fruit?  That is the only kind of date I have known for quite some time.